Our Peace Corps Pre-Service Training (PST) is exciting and enjoyable, but it can also be tough. Some of my hard times are made better because of the people around me. There are many people who's been there for me, and here are some of them:

Cheyenne

​Sometimes, you just don’t remember how exactly you met and how you became friends. Cheyenne is one of those people for me. I love how chill and fun Cheyenne is. Really, there was no effort to be anyone else but myself around her. I truly appreciate how easy our friendship is. Even though she doesn’t consider herself a Marylander anymore, Cheyenne feels very homey to me and will forever remind me of home Maryland. It’s also super fun for me to judge her about her life choices (especially with coffee).

What I’ll miss about her the most?Our supposedly secret and random hangouts.​

Paige

Paige is family AND friend! Not only is she my neighbor, she’s also my host cousin. You know how you always need that one sane cousin to help you understand your crazy family or survive the fun yet intense family trips? Paige is that for me. I’m so glad she’s a big part of my life here. I’m always going to think of Paige when a new song of Taylor Swift comes out. I’ll also feel like Paige is rolling her eyes at me when I’m about to do something stupid, even when she isn’t there.

What I’ll miss about her the most?It’s the combination of the look she gives me as she says my name “Christine” with a hidden meaning behind it.

TJ

TJ has the most encouraging smile everyone in PST needs. Because he’s so cool, calm, and collected, it makes me (and some other people) want to be more like him. I don’t think I’ve seen him look upset or angry or anything negative yet. I’m patiently waiting for him to explode one of these days. My host family also loves seeing him so it’s so nice to have him over at our home just to see everyone’s happy faces. I also like to bug TJ because he's just so nice all the time.

What I’ll miss about him the most?His laugh and luscious locks!

Dallas

I will not be able to survive my language classes without Dallas. He keeps me competitive and challenges me (whether he knows it or not). He’s that one person who’s consistently there for everyone. He’s always just a helpful hand away. He’s also super smart and serious, but I can’t help but think that he’s just a big teddy bear sometimes. It’s also endlessly entertaining to see his confused face when I spout some nonsense or a lame Christine joke that he doesn’t get. He would never wear sun screen and gets really red all the time, which I always react to with half concern and half amusement.

What I’ll miss about him the most?His usual “Oh oh oh” or “Goodness Gracious” reactions and the very inclusive “Hey Team” ​

Sara

​Last but not least, Sunflower Sara! She also goes by Safety Sara and likes to send out a SOS (Save our Sara) now and then. If we had grown up together, not only would we have been childhood best friends, we would be at each other’s houses every day too. I love how positive she is. Her energy is so infectious that it keeps me positive too. She’s there for me whenever I need to rant and definitely keeps me sane and grounded. She also puts me up to no good sometimes, and I’m totally okay with that.

What I’ll miss about her the most?Our perfect photo sessions and random song outbursts!

Our time together in Kandal province is coming to an end next week, and we will all be leaving for different provinces. I will miss them all dearly, and I'm hoping to see them often. One thing I am sure about though is that we will all be doing some good in our own little corners of Cambodia!